Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-18

tneTS. LII Is ilSut0u WIFI gas anu rups
piled with water by y river that tuni-
bles down mountain and rolls past
it. 1t has street cars and steam
railway. 1t has telegraphs and tele-
phones, fourteen churches, a market
and IA theater. There is more luxury
than have ever found in the West
Indies, outside of Havana. But
there are at presrnt no good
hotels in Kingston--at least, no
very large ones. Now, however, u
number Of wealthy gentlemen IL
j ,hiaica have taken this matter in
handsand are raising money to build
one. | understand, indeed, from q
gentleman who lately visited me from
there, that they contemplated build
ing a series Of big hotels, to be con-
Quoted on the American plan, in all
I prncip towns. But think they
will find one good big one quite
enough to occupy their lime. Many
Of the leading business houses Of the
Island are interested in the project,
and there is little doubt that the hotel
at or near Kingston will be built-per-
hap- this season.
When one reaches Jamaica land it
takes about six days to get there by
the Atlas lne) there are number OF
things tosee. A railway running out
Of Kingston goes about so miles into
the interior, running first to Spanish
Town, IL miles, and then to a place
hearing the classical name of Porus.
There are also mail coaches, and a
steamer leaves Kingston every ten
days. for trip round the island.
There is also a cable to Jamaica, SO
that one il not in danger of living in
sone "Doundless contiguity of shade"
between steamer days. Then there are
the mountains. As have never seer
any of them can only take the figures
from the bert authority can find.
Hut have no faith Ia any figures pur-
porting to give the height of mount
ms. Years ago lived (at least ate,
dra X, slept IN shivered) on the side
Of mountain. Th4t mountain was
then said on good authority to be 1880
feet in its highest part. But since
then New York wealth and fashion
has taken holt OF it in the summer,
and its height has been growing every
year. About ten years ago 1t
had reached 1900 feet, greatly
to my surprise. But that
was nothing. 1t has climbed
nov to within q short distance Of
6, O00 feet, and all this under the geni-
al influence Of two big summer hotels.
II they should ever build two more
big hotels up there that mountain
would be away over 10 COO feet high.
In Jamaica. however, where there are
no landlords <interested in booming
the tigrres, no doubt they come nearer
the truth. In the Blue mountains,
where great deal OF the coffee sold IN
Ne Y YO X is raised. the western peak
il put down ut 1850 feet. Portland
gap 10 said to be 5,54g feet high. That
asst nine is u convincing argument in
my mind. The man who measured 1t
mig't just a. easily have nwie IL $50
feet, but he was conscientious man
who wouli not lie fr the sake Of one
foot. Sir Johns peak, the highest
pintat which cinchona is
raised, is 5000 feet above
the sea level. Ice" says the
report before me, "has been quite re-
Gently found on the top of the Blue
mountains" do not doubt it; but
the report neglects to atAl anything
about the empty champagne bottles
that were undoubtedly found hear by.
Even the sponsor for the book, &c.
Washington Ewes, Honorary Conn
missioner" cannot make me believe
that ice was ever found in latitude
eighteen degrees north, at sn eleva-'
ton of little over 1000 feet, unless
somebody carried it there. If the
altitu le was twice 1000 feet in that
latitude l should still be skeptical
about it. 1t i. not only possible, but
highly probable that has recently
~ en- found in the Blue mountains.
With half million darkies on the
island it would be the easiest thing
in the world for u y cnc party to hire
one Of them to carry the ice and all
its conconlitants to the top OF the
Ii CHEST peak, and then remain to
draw the cofks- But all the ice that
ever WAS naturally formed in Jamaica
would not c. ol ole pitcher Of water.
1t is an land that can vel afford
to get along without claiming our
Northern ice. For it has q great
stock vi rivere--and therein it dittrs
from most Of the West Indian islands.
lts original name, it is said, was
Xaynlaca, meaning the land OF
streams. But it il of the climate
and general he lthfulness OF the
Islands that any Americans contenn-
plating going there would most care to
know. there are in the document
before me papers from a number Of
good authorities, telling about the
Temperature and death rate. One IL
written by The Hon. Il. f. Horkinson,
late American Consul at Jalnaica,
and select his paper to make some
extracts from because, being AN
American, he must necessarily be
a truthful, upright man. The
climate" he saws, "is mil in the win
ter lnonths-suft, relaxing and per-
haps enervating to people directly
from the North" THAT word ener.
waiting is = little Formidable, hut it
only means that you grow lazy. When
YOU so South for the winter fur health
.r pleasure you havn't anythingto do
10 il you do MT feel like doing any
thing, the conditions harm'nige nd.
mirably.) 1.-The tourist coming to
this beautiful i.land loRes
interest in tho.e things which seemed
of absorbing interest vt home, and i
content to drink in the suns ine." (II
he drinks in nothing but the sunshine
he will he all rixht; hut beware
tour Of "ihe wine Of the country,
"Days, weeks, months, fee away
Ills the land If ti,ce-nothinp
changes--lfe flows like gentle
sire an, and, surrounded by q gen
erous ant hospitabls people, the
stranger soon comes to lose the feel
ing u stranpeness, and becomes one
to the manner horn." (This last
seutence have worked in only TO-
chow what an American Consul
stationed in tropical country may
sometimes come to. Gree and the
gentle stream and the manner born
1 Il